Dorothy Hoffner, a 104-year-old Chicago woman whose recent skydive could see her certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest person to ever jump from a plane, has died.

Hoffner’s close friend, Joe Conant, said she was found dead Monday morning by staff at the Brookdale Lake View senior living community. Conant said Hoffner apparently died in her sleep on Sunday night.

Conant, who is a nurse, said he met Hoffner — whom he called Grandma at her request — several years ago while he was working as a caregiver for another resident at the senior living center. He said she had amazing energy and remained mentally sharp.

“She was indefatigable. She just kept going,” he said Tuesday. “She was not someone who would take naps in the afternoon, or not show up for any function, dinner or anything else. She was always there, fully present. She kept going, always.”

    • foggy@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Something in her was like “gotta make it to 100…”

      Then she did and must’ve been thinking “well is that it? I am awfully tired all the time. Guess I am getting weaker. Oh!! I never skydived!! Okay gotta skydive, then we’re good to go 😊”

      Skydives

      Naps forever

      • vortexsurfer@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Sorry, but it appears you are quite wrong.

        From the article:

        “She was indefatigable. She just kept going,” he said Tuesday. “She was not someone who would take naps in the afternoon, or not show up for any function, dinner or anything else. She was always there, fully present. She kept going, always.”

      • ivanafterall@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, now Dorothy. We’ll never get to see what else they might have done had they not been snatched from us early by that cruel bitch fate.

  • Chariotwheel@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Good, going out on a high note is great.

    Plus the benefit that her actual death was in her sleep.

    My grandma wasn’t skydiving, but she also died in her sleep, which was great. Was well the days before, then went to bed and never woke up. Much prefered to how grandpa slowly died of cancer while also having Alzheimers. That wasn’t fun for anyone. Never waking up is certainly one of the best deaths one can have.

    • agent_flounder@lemmy.one
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      That’s how my grandmother went out. Definitely preferable to many other ways. :( Sorry you had to go through that. Dementia of any kind is horrible.

      • Chariotwheel@kbin.social
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        I didn’t have to go through it directly. I was a child and my grandma didn’t let me see my grandfather in his past months. It apparently was really bad and she wanted me to keep the memory of how he was when he was well. Heck, while the older family members got to visit, she basically took over the care on her own. She shouldered this burden of him losing himself so nobody else had to and continued on another decade afterwards. She was quite the strong woman.

  • NightAuthor@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    No one’s going to say anything about “indefatigable”? Am I the only illiterate here that’s never heard of this word?

      • NightAuthor@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Why in- and de- tho?

        To me that sounds like she couldn’t have her fatigue reversed.

        But, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were correct, language gonna language.

        • Madison420@lemmy.world
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          It’s an old pigeon French use, if you’re interested in that sort of thing it’s etymology.

          Namely there are several warships named indefatigable.

          https://www.etymonline.com/word/indefatigable

          1580s (implied in indefatigably), from French indefatigable (15c.), from Latin indefatigabilis “that cannot be wearied,” from in- “not” (see in- (1)) + defatigare “to tire out,” from de- “utterly, down, away” (see de-) + fatigare “to weary” (see fatigue (n.)).

            • Madison420@lemmy.world
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              https://www.etymonline.com/word/hot

              Old English hat “hot, flaming, opposite of cold,” used of the sun or air, of fire, of objects made hot; also “fervent, fierce, intense, excited,” from Proto-Germanic *haita- (source also of Old Saxon and Old Frisian het, Old Norse heitr, Middle Dutch and Dutch heet, German heiß “hot,” Gothic heito “heat of a fever”), of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Lithuanian kaisti “to grow hot;” both could be from a substratum word.

        • asexualchangeling@lemmy.ml
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          Welcome to English, no it doesn’t make sense and it contradicts it’s own supposed “rules” constantly, but it’s made of a hodgepodge of other languages, as well as slang that evolved from both it and those other languages, so what do you expect?

    • hactar42@lemmy.ml
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      I would say you are more literate because it’s in the last sentence, most people never read that far.

    • dogslayeggs@lemmy.world
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      It’s not as common now as it used to be, and even back then it wasn’t really common, but it’s kind of like the word “inauspicious.” I had never heard anyone use the word before, but then I went to India and every English speaking Indian seemed to use the word regularly. It was weird.

      But yeah, indefatigable is a word I’ve heard before, both spoken in older movies and in older books.

      • turmacar@lemmy.world
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        I’d put money on the nurse being a roleplayer / watcher. It’s a character attribute you can have in DnD 5e and I believe pops up in a few other tabletop games, so like, golems/robots “don’t get tired.”

        Also totally possible he just likes older media of course.

    • sock@lemmy.world
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      my thought process was IN (no) and FATIGUE (tired) per context clues it seems like someone who doesnt get tired

      idk the word tho

    • meliorit@lemmynsfw.com
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      1 year ago

      LOVELESS Yes, Mr. West, I’m sure a well- endowed blackamoor like yourself must find it absolutely impossible… that a freak like me could fully enjoy the pleasure of a woman. But having witnessed my use of mechinology so far… wouldn’t you think I could provide myself with something for the lower half of my body that was hard-pumping and indefatigably steely?

      • NightAuthor@lemmy.world
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        That could be a silly little workplace game, everyone is told the WoTD in chat in the morning, and everyone just memes on it all day.

  • Zahtu@feddit.de
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    Kinda sad, but at the same time, I wish for this myself when being old. Dieing after having my most ambitious dreams being fulfilled, not looking back about missed opportunities or regrets.

  • rtxn@lemmy.world
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    See this tale to a triumphant conclusion, and with elation in your heart, bid the final curtain fall.

    • Pons_Aelius@kbin.social
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      Yep.

      Do not go gently into that good night.

      Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

      Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

    • TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee
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      If life seems jolly rotten,

      There’s something you’ve forgotten,

      And that’s to laugh and smile and dance and sing.

      When you’re feeling in the dumps,

      Don’t be silly, chumps,

      Just purse your lips and whistle,

      That’s the thing.

  • wildcardology@lemmy.world
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    She was the oldest person to skydive, there’s proof that she was the oldest person to skydive. What’s keeping them from giving her the record? Does it matter that she died? The record was already set.

    • KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      I’d assume her age and stuff need to be confirmed? Tho if it with Guinness it doesn’t really matter much, their entire record system is a sham.

    • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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      Would there be a concern that the elderly might be pushed into potentially hazardous (due to their age/health) activities in attempts to make records? Guinness already refuses records that are dangerous. I could easily see the YouTube generation trying to talk grandma into some record attempts that wind up with her stroking out or breaking a hip. If I were Guinness I’d have some concerns about how to present stuff like this.

    • Alien Nathan Edward@lemm.ee
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      I, for one, would want to take a second look at a birth certificate from 1919. It might not be terribly meaningful in the grand scheme of things but Guinness takes their verification seriously and wants to be able to answer questions like “exactly how many days old was she when she jumped?” and “how did you prove that?”

  • JoYo@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    it’s amusing that journalists still give these “world records” any amount of energy.

    a serious career for serious people.

    • atetulo@lemm.ee
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      What’s wrong with world records?

      I guess AP usually has better things to report on, but reporting is still reporting.

      It’s about the delivery, not the subject matter 😎

      • JoYo@lemmy.ml
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        you can just buy them without doing anything.

        they’ll sell the same “record” more than once.